ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES

Sustainable use of resources

Environment and energy management

Recycling carbide

Tungsten and cobalt are extremely sought-after raw materials, which are irreplaceable in many fields of application. We are committed to handling our raw materials in a way which is sustainable and which preserves resources, so that we can continue to guarantee the proven quality of our carbide solutions in the future.

At CERATIZIT, therefore, we have our own recycling facilities where we recycle coated and uncoated carbide tools that have been withdrawn from service, including inserts, drills and carbide rolls. The recycled materials, which are a product of the zinc Recycling or acidulation process, are re-used following careful examination for carbide grades specifically designed for this purpose.

Efficient use of energy

Our production in Reutte has been certified according to the requirements of the energy management standard ISO 50001 since 2013. This is confirmation of our systematic energy management, which allows us to consistently improve our energy efficiency. We also made sure to use resources efficiently when expanding this same site in 2013: Where possible we used wood, a renewable raw material, as a building material. An insulating outer shell and efficient heat recovery also ensure low energy consumption.

A new energy concept for our production building in Mamer, Luxembourg, significantly reduces energy consumption. New cooling, ventilation and heat recovery systems in the production halls are designed to reduce current electricity consumption by over 80 percent in future. This has led to CERATIZIT Luxembourg S.à r.l. winning the Green Facility Management Award 2014. In the future, up to 90 percent of heat requirements at the site will be met purely through waste heat from the machines.

Our environmental management is certified according to the requirements of ISO 14001. This standard establishes the requirements of an environmental management system. Efficient environmental management is important for us, because we are actively committed to protecting the environment and preserving resources. The system helps us to examine our own actions, to adopt the appropriate measures and to consistently improve our own practices.